National—
On May 28th, 2024, Thai Government spokesperson Chai Watcharong announced new visa issuance measures and guidelines to promote tourism and stimulate Thailand’s economy following a cabinet meeting.
TPN Media cautions, however, that many specific details of the visas and possibly extra requirements and potential regulations have yet to be clarified or released as of press time and are still awaiting the release of this information, set to be in early June.
Chai stated that the Thai cabinet had approved the implementation of a robust tourism policy in response to Thailand’s prolonged economic stagnation and lower GDP growth rates compared to neighboring countries. The Thai government aims to expedite this policy within 2024 to generate at least three trillion baht in tourism revenue.
To achieve this, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant agencies have proposed three proactive measures to facilitate foreign tourists. These include Visa exemptions for tourism, business, and short-term work purposes which will now allow stays of up to 60 days, expanding the exemption list from 57 to 93 countries, including Australia, Canada, France, and others.
Additionally, the visa-on-arrival list will be expanded from 19 to 31 countries, including China, India, Mexico, and others.
A new visa category, the Destination Thailand Visa (DTV), will be introduced for long-term immigrant workers and digital nomads, allowing stays of up to 180 days with a visa issuance fee of 10,000 baht, valid for five years.
DTV holders can extend their stay once for an additional 180 days with another 10,000 baht fee and may request to change the type of visa within the country, although this will terminate the DTV.
DTV Applicants must provide financial evidence of a supporter or guarantor with a credit limit of at least 500,000 baht. There are also likely to be more requirements for this visa, including potential proof of valid employment with a registered company, released in early June.
The DTV visa does NOT allow “any” digital nomad to stay in Thailand for five years, as incorrectly noted by some media. To be clear, once obtained, it can be used within a five year period, for 180 days, and extended once for another 180 days, with a 10,000 Baht filing fee each time.
After being used twice, the DTV visa would expire. As stated, additional requirements will be released in the near future by the Thai government and are subject to change. It is not yet clear how leaving early before the 180 day period expires and returning later within the five year validity period will be treated despite lots of speculation online.
There are also nearly certain to be tax implications for the DTV visa, but this has yet to be clarified as of press time. Some supporting Thai government documentation appears to say foreign income will not be taxed, but this isn’t finalised.
The DTV Visa does not include a work permit and will not be launching for some time, contrary to some reports.
The Thai cabinet also approved short-term visa measures for foreign students pursuing a Bachelor’s degree or higher on a Non-Immigrant Visa.
These students can extend their stay for up to one year after graduation to work and travel, provided they have a valid certificate from the Thai Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation.
For mid-term measures, the government will streamline the codes for Non-Immigrant visas, reducing them from 17 to 7 by September 2024.
These new streamlined codes will be released later this year and may impact some existing visas.
Exact details for this shall be released in the next few months.
Additionally, revised criteria and conditions for Long Stay Non-Immigrant visas for retirees/expats wishing to spend their later years in Thailand will also take effect by September 2024.
Although not all details on changes to the retirement visas have been released as of press time, one item noted was that the health insurance requirement for Non-Immigrant (O-A) visas will be reduced from 3,000,000 baht to pre-COVID-19 levels of 40,000 baht for outpatient care and 400,000 baht for inpatient care.
Furthermore, e-Visa services will be expanded from 47 to 94 embassies and consulates to include all Thai embassies, consulates, and trade and economic offices worldwide by December 2024.
For long-term measures, the improvement of the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system for foreigners exempt from visas will be fully operational by June 2025.
TPN Media will provide further clarification and information on these changes as they are released. We also would like to stress that the information released is preliminary and not yet finalized by Thai Immigration or relevant ministries and as a result is subject to change.
